#UMNMCH students Claire Felter (MPH 2025) and Asmeret Abraha (MPH 2026) describe their deployments at Leap Pediatric and Adolescent Care in St. Paul. Through literature reviews and surveys, they have worked to identify how social connectedness impacts health and how this applies to the St. Paul communities that Leap serves. They hope that their work […]
Tag: Student Spotlight
Student Spotlight: How Has Diana Augustin Shaped an MCH Research Portfolio While at the University of Minnesota?
#UMNMCH student Diana Augustin (MPH 2025) reflects on their public health journey spurred by an interest in reproductive health. From a quirky theater class to an NIH research fellowship and roles at the Justice-Involved Women and Children’s (JIWC) Collaborative and the Cannabis Research Center, Diana’s focus has been on the societal and sociopolitical determinants of […]
Student Spotlight: How is Ingri Ramirez Enhancing Outcomes for Children and Families?
#UMNMCH student, Ingri L. Ramirez-Martin (MPH 2025), describes her experience working with the Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative (RCCMHC). The RCCMHC works to improve access to mental health services for children and families. The organization emphasizes a holistic approach, advocating for care coordination and resource navigation to address the mental health needs of both […]
Student Spotlight: How did Grace Armon Connect Her Geography Background to Maternal and Child Health with the Title V MCH Internship Program?
#UMNMCH student Grace Armon (MPH 2025) describes her Applied Experience (APEX) with the Title V MCH Internship Program through the National MCH Workforce Development Center. Her internship with the South Dakota Title V Division focused on analyzing community needs assessments. Grace’s background in geography and passion for place effects on health equipped her with the […]
Student Spotlight: How is Kelly Gill Supporting Maternal Wellbeing through Birth Care and Perinatal Peer Support?
#UMNMCH student Kelly Gill (MPH 2025) wrote this reflection on her deployment at the Minnesota Department of Health’s Women’s Health Unit. As a part of her position, Kelly created multiple briefs to improve the availability of resources that would improve maternal outcomes. Kelly hopes that maternal mental health continues gaining visibility as a key issue […]
Student Spotlight: How is Najma Dahir-Abdulla’s Passion for Global Maternal Health Making a Local Impact for Black Families?
#UMNMCH student Najma Dahir-Abdulla (MPH 2025) describes her deployment at the Innovations for Maternal Health Outcomes in Minnesota (I-MOM) program at the Minnesota Department of Health. As a part of her deployment, she played a key role in managing evaluations for perinatal health improvement initiatives and communicating important maternal health program updates across the state. […]
Student Spotlight: How did Vivian Pham’s Deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) Project Influence Her Drive for Health Advocacy?
#UMNMCH student, Vivian Pham (MPH 2024), wrote this reflection on how her deployment with Minnesota PRAMS has contributed to her transformative journey in MCH, shaping her into a steadfast advocate for the well-being of families and children worldwide. PRAMS: Unveiling the Foundation of Maternal and Child Health Surveillance I had the great honor of being […]
Student Spotlight: How has Munira Salad’s Deployment shaped her Perspectives on Maternal Mental Well-being and Postpartum Support?
#UMNMCH student, Munira Salad (MPH 2024), describes how her passion for community health and engagement introduced her to community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches and deepened her interest in programs focused on underserved communities. In this Student Spotlight, Munira describes her deployment with the 40-Day Project, which aims to improve postpartum mental well-being in the Somali-Minnesotan […]
Student Spotlight: How is Estefanía Henríquez Luthje’s MCH Program Experience Inspiring Her Desire to Establish an MCH Center in the Dominican Republic?
Estefanía Henríquez Luthje (MPH 2024), a Fulbright Foreign Student at #UMNMCH, shares a personal reflection on her background as an M.D. in the Dominican Republic, experience managing the National MCH Trainee Blog (MCH Leads), and future hopes to establish a Center for MCH in the Dominican Republic. The Road Less Traveled: My Journey to the […]
Student Spotlight: How did Laurel Cederberg Address Vision Health in Native American Children and Youth in Minnesota??
#UMNMCH student and pediatrician, Dr. Laurel Cederberg (MPH 2024), wrote this reflection detailing her involvement with the Vision Health Task Force. The task force is dedicated to addressing vision health, particularly through their “Little Eyes, Big Eyes” project for Native American children and families in Minnesota. Drawing from her hands-on experience, Laurel conducted an extensive […]
Student Spotlight: How did Annie Olson’s Interests in Mental Health Lead her to the Minnesota Student Survey?
#UMNMCH student Annie Olson (MPH 2024) wrote this reflection on how her deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health gave her the opportunity to analyze and disseminate information about the health of Minnesota adolescents and contributed to her understanding of the state’s mental health landscape. Tell us about your deployment: what did you work on, […]
Student Spotlight: How Did Tia Joy Peterson Help Change Outcomes for Incarcerated Parents and their Children?
#UMNMCH student Tia Joy Peterson wrote this reflection on how her field experience and deployment contributed to her career in Maternal and Child Health (MCH). When I first entered the University of Minnesota (UMN) Master of Public Health in MCH, I was excited to learn that there was a deployment that was focused on how […]
Student Spotlight: How did Mary Kate Leloux’s Deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health’s PRAMS Project provide a foundational experience in public health data collection processes?
#UMNMCH student Mary Kate Leloux (MPH 2024) wrote this reflection on how her deployment with the Minnesota Department of Health PRAMS Project and passion for communities has developed her interest in representative public health data. PRAMS: A Story of Data to Action I completed a year-long deployment with the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring Systems (PRAMS) […]
Student Spotlight: How is an Interest in Storytelling and Data Visualization Inspiring the Direction of Ruth Arévalo’s Masters Program?
#UMNMCH student Ruth Arévalo (MPH 2024) wrote this reflection on how community work, nursing career, and deployment have contributed to a career in Maternal and Child Health (MCH). Understanding the Impacts of COVID-19 on Childhood Immunization Acquisition In 2022 I began my deployment with Hennepin County Public Health (HCPH) as a Community Health Assessment and Project […]